


Merlin of Middle-Earth

by Little_Owl329



Category: Merlin (TV), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, elf!Merlin, non-human merlin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-23
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-03-13 06:58:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18935779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Owl329/pseuds/Little_Owl329
Summary: To Arthur, Gwen and the knights, he's Merlin.To Mordred and the druids, he's Emrys.But a world away, in a land of elves, dwarves and hobbits, of orcs and trolls, he's far more than that.Merlin's being hiding for a long time. With Morgana and Mordred redeemed, and Magic made legal again, he's the happiest he's been for a long time. But he's still hiding.Until Arthur decides to explore the strange glowing portal that leads to a very familiar land...





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Unwanted Vacations (Or when Merlin was tempted to let the idiots that made up Camelot’s king and knights fend for themselves in Middle Earth)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2209323) by [twIInGemIInII](https://archiveofourown.org/users/twIInGemIInII/pseuds/twIInGemIInII). 



> Underlined - Mindspeech  
> Italics - Sindarin or Quenya  
> Bold - Khuzdul

They had made the discovery after the Saxons had arrived.

Invaders from over the sea had started a new idea, that they could be attacked by enemies no-one had ever seen or heard of before. Arthur had decided that he would lead the first voyage and Merlin had sighed and started packing.

Things were different now. Mordred hadn't told Morgana the identity of Emrys, merely that he was in Camelot, so when she attacked and it was discovered that her mind had been manipulated by Morgause in the same way she had manipulated Gwen, she had been healed and allowed to return to Camelot. Arthur had listened carefully to her story and to Mordred's tales of the druids and had declared magic was allowed in Camelot again, unless it was used to commit an act already punishable as a crime, and that all users register when they arrived.

Morgana and Mordred had been the first names on the list, followed by Gaius. Alice had returned and been cautiously accepted, along with Gilli and a few others he had made friends with after he left Camelot. The Catha had come forward, as allies of Emrys and so had the druids.

Merlin had panicked and did not register. Gaius had urged him to reveal his magic but Merlin had decided not to. He was the King's secret bodyguard and he could protect him better if no-one knew he had magic, he reasoned.

Mordred had done the same as Gaius, telling him it would be better to confess now than later, but Merlin simply shook his head and said not yet.  
The truth was that he couldn't bare to see the betrayal on Arthur and Morgana's faces. He had been forgiven for the poisoning, once the reason had been explained, but he doubted they would forgive him this.

So when Arthur told him they were going on a voyage, he jumped at the chance, hoping to avoid having to decide whether to sign the register or not.

All the original Knights of the Round Table were going; Arthur, Leon, Percival, Gwaine and Elyan. Mordred was also coming with them, along with Gwen and Morgana.  
Arthur had tried to argue that the women should stay behind, to be regents while he was away, but they were having none of it. Instead, Gaius, Sir Ector and Sir Kay were left in charge and the Queen and Princess, as Morgana had been named, were coming with them.

It was going to be a long journey.

~~~

Merlin had enjoyed the trip at first. He didn't get seasick, unlike some of the knights and he loved the sea more than any forest.

But after a while he became suspicious. The air felt charged with power and he knew Mordred and Morgana felt it too. When the two reported the feeling to Arthur, he decided to head straight for the source, to determine what it was.

When they saw it, Merlin had to fight back a groan. The shimmering golden portal was achingly familiar and he could hear the faint music it emitted. Mordred and Morgana could sense the power of the portal, but they couldn't hear the music.

When Merlin asked, Mordred said, "The closest thing I've ever felt to the sort of power it gives off, is your magic, Emrys."

Merlin nearly groaned again at this. Of course it felt similar. But he couldn't explain that.

They kept a reasonable distance from the shimmering golden light and Merlin had to fight the pull he felt coming through from the other side. That portal led home. Not the home he'd made for himself in Ealdor, but his true home. He missed the magic that existed on the other side of that portal, similar but at the same time so different from the magic on this side.

They watched the shining half-ring for two days before Arthur decided that it needed to be investigated properly. Leaving most of the knights behind on the ship, apart from their usual group, they approached it in a smaller boat.

The closer they got, the harder Merlin had to fight against the draw of the magic. Mordred and Morgana were obviously interested too, but they didn't feel it the same way Merlin did.

He couldn't concentrate on anything anyone said to him, the music and the magic taking up all his attention. He was vaguely aware of Gwaine trying and failing to get his attention by waving a hand in front of his face and of Arthur yelling at Morgana to do something, but he couldn't focus on it.

Merlin found himself at the very front of the boat, leaning forwards towards the portal, with Percival holding onto the back of his jacket to stop him falling into the water.

"Merlin, stop! What are you doing?" Elyan had joined Percival in trying to pull him back.

"Emrys, come back to us. Focus on my voice. Ignore the magic." Mordred's voice was in his head, but the music drowned it out.

Merlin took a deep breath, preparing to use magic to push the boat into portal, to reach home. But then he heard it. Arthur's voice.

"Merlin, come on, you idiot, stop fighting us and get back here. That portal's dangerous, we don't know where it goes."

He felt himself relax a little and Percival pulled him quickly back from the front of the boat.

Merlin turned shining blue eyes on his King and said in a voice full of the music that echoed in his mind, "But it's calling me, Arthur. Can't you hear it? The magic calls."

Arthur looked at Morgana and Mordred, worry obvious on his face. "What is he talking about?"

Morgana shook her head. "I feel the power, but it doesn't call to me, or draw me in. I don't understand."

Mordred looked at Merlin. Then he reached out and spoke in his mind, "Emrys, if this doesn't stop I'll have to tell Arthur about your magic. It's the only way to explain this, to stop you."

Merlin sucked in a sharp breath. That had pierced the fog. He met Arthur's blue eyes and said, "It's pulling at me. I want to go through. I'm fighting it, but it's so hard."

"Why you?" asked Gwaine. "Why is it calling you and not us?"

Merlin tilted his head to one side, closing his eyes to listen to the music. "It calls us all. The music sings to us all. But you can't hear it. It wants me to lead you through." He opened his eyes again and looked at Arthur. "There is no anger, or hatred. It wants us to understand, to see the world beyond."

"The world beyond?" replied Arthur. "Through the portal, you mean?"

Merlin nodded. "I'll answer, even if you do not follow. You cannot stop me."

Gwaine sighed. "Well, in that case I guess we're all going."

Arthur rolled his eyes at the knight, but agreed. The moment he did so, the boat shot forward, heading straight through the portal and forcing them to close their eyes with the blindingly bright golden light.

~~~

When the light faded, Merlin opened his eyes and breathed in the familiar magic of home. He sighed and felt his shoulders relax. He looked around and saw the Grey Havens in the distance. He smiled, wondering what he had missed while he had been away.

"We need to be on our guard," said Arthur, noticing the shore Merlin was looking at. "There is obviously some kind of magic here, if the portal was made to bring us here and it drew Merlin towards it."

The knights nodded and Merlin could see Morgana and Mordred looking at each other, obviously communicating silently.

Gwaine and Elyan took up the oars and rowed them towards the shore. Merlin looked eagerly at the familiar coast, completely failing to mask his enthusiasm, not that he was really trying. Arthur and Leon exchanged looks, agreeing without words to keep an eye on their friend. The boat reached the docks and they all climbed out, leaving it tied up at the end of one of the piers.

Merlin was finding it hard not to break into a run, to seek out Cirdan and greet him after so long. The Havens were oddly empty though and Merlin couldn't help but worry.

"It's too quiet," he muttered. "It should be busier than this."

"Merlin's right," agreed Elyan. "A place like this should be full of people, workers, merchants, fishermen. Where is everyone?"

They moved carefully through the streets, the knights with their hands hovering over their swords hilts. Then they heard a loud voice, coming from an open square ahead of them, and they walked cautiously closer.

" _I have just received a letter from Lord Elrond_ ," came the voice. " _I have called you all to announce that the Dark Lord Sauron has been finally defeated_!" There came a wave of cheers and they used the sound cover to get into positions where they could see the speaker, stood at the top of a flight of pale stone steps. The figure was very tall, had long silver hair and a beard. Merlin recognised him instantly as Cirdan the Shipwright, his old friend, but was distracted by the speech.

" _A few days ago, a hobbit by the name of Frodo Baggins, helped by his loyal companion Samwise Gamgee, succeeded in throwing the One Ring into the fires of Orodruin, destroying it forever. Mordor has been emptied, and the last of the orc armies are being rounded up. Arda is at peace once more_." Another round of cheering. Cirdan inclined his head gracefully and said, " _Let us prepare, for tonight there will be a great feast and dance, in celebration of the destruction of this great evil_."

The crowd broke apart with a lot of excited conversation, leaving Cirdan talking quietly with one of the listeners.

Merlin couldn't help it; he reached out to Cirdan, nudging at the edge of his mind to let him know he wanted to talk. The bearded elf looked up, meeting Merlin's eyes immediately.

" _It is good to see you returned, Emrys_ ," he said softly.

Merlin smiled back. " _It is good to be back, Cirdan. I have not come alone however. Is there somewhere we could talk? I would like to introduce you_."

" _Of course. I will send someone to show you the way_."

" _Cirdan, my companions don't know of my origins, or my powers. Would you mind addressing me as Merlin, until I get the chance to explain it to them_?"

Cirdan inclined his head. " _As you wish, Emrys. We will speak again soon_."

Merlin smiled and broke the connection. He looked around to see Arthur with his hand gripping his sword hilt tightly. "The leader knows where we are," the king said quietly. "He's looking right at us."

~~~

They didn't get any time to respond as the elf who had been talking to Cirdan came over to them.

"Greetings travellers," he said softly. "My Lord Cirdan wishes to welcome you to Mithlond. If you would follow me, I can lead you to the metting hall."

The knights looked at Arthur, who nodded slowly. "We would be glad to greet your lord," he replied.

The elf nodded gracefully and led them away from the crowds and towards one of the taller buildings in the city. They were shown through a pair of large wooden doors into a beautiful hallway, then along a corridor until they reached another set of doors.

"Here is the meeting room. Lord Cirdan will be with you shortly." The elf opened the doors, then he bowed to Arthur, inclined his head slightly to Merlin and left.

"Well, we might as well go in and wait," said Gwaine. Elyan shrugged and followed him, though he kept his hand on his sword hilt. Merlin and Percival went in after them, with Leon and Arthur entering last.

Arthur looked around, decided there was no current threat, and sank into one the chairs. "How did he know we were there?" he asked. "There is no way someone heard us over the sound of that crowd."

"Actually, King Arthur, elves are well known for having hearing several times superior to that of man." Cirdan had arrived.

Arthur quickly rose from the chair and bowed to the figure who was obviously the leader in this city. "Thank you for your hospitality," he said formally. "But I'm afraid you have us at a disadvantage."

Cirdan smiled. "Of course. I am Cirdan, Lord of Mithlond, also known as the Grey Havens in your tongue. And I only know who you are because there is no way any other of your kind could be here."

"May I ask what you mean, sir?" asked Morgana.

Cirdan turned to her. "I only mean, my lady, that only King Arthur and his company could have travelled through the portal from your world to this one. You will not find this land on any map you know, nor will we know any country of yours, save the name of Camelot, which is spoken of in the legends."

"Lord Cirdan, this is Princess Morgana, my sister. My wife, Queen Quinevere. These are my knights; Sir Leon, Sir Elyan, Sir Gwaine and Sir Percival. And my manservant, Merlin."

Cirdan raised an eyebrow at Merlin, but didn't comment. "It is an honour to receive you. Mithlond will be happy to host you, until you either return to your own world, or decide to further explore Arda."

"Might I have a map, Lord Cirdan?" asked Leon politely. "I would like to confirm that we have travelled to somewhere completely unfamiliar."

"Of course, Sir Leon," he replied. "I shall have one sent to your quarters. You will be shown to them presently." He looked at them all, then said, "I should warn you, as I am not sure you recognised it earlier, that none of the people you encounter here are human." He carefully lifted his long hair to show one pointed ear. "Mithlond is an elven city, and as such there are no men that dwell here."

"Might I ask how you differ from us? if it is not too rude," asked Gwen.

Cirdan smiled at her. "Elves have sharper senses than the race of Men, chiefly far greater eyesight and hearing. We have great skill in crafting and in the arts and are known for our tales and songs. We are much lighter on our feet than any man; it is unlikely you would hear us coming unless we wished it so. The greatest difference is that of age. Elves do not die, unless they are slain, as far as men are concerned. Our lifespan can be many thousands of years, but in return for this, we are not often blessed with children. The last elven child was born some twenty-five centuries ago."

The visitors blinked rapidly, trying to understand the information. Merlin was doing his best to look shocked, while at the same time checking that the glamour spell that hid the pointed tips of his ears was still completely working.

~~~

After that, Cirdan left them and the elf they had met before showed them all to their chambers. Merlin was called to follow him, to 'learn how the bathing chambers worked, in case Arthur wanted to bathe'.

Merlin grinned and followed the elf to Cirdan's own chambers.

" _Emrys_ ," Cirdan opened his arms and they embraced. Cirdan kept one hand resting on his shoulder after they had stepped back. " _It has been too long since last we spoke_."

Merlin smiled back, enjoying hearing the sound of his mother tongue of Sindarin again. " _I know. I have missed Arda. But I am happy in Camelot. My destiny is fulfilling as a task. I have been proud to protect Arthur, and to see him develop and grow into a great king_." The two of them sat in chairs on the balcony overlooking the sea. " _What have I missed while I've been away_?" he asked.

Cirdan folded his hands in his lap. " _A great deal has happened since you left for Camelot. As you no doubt heard, the Dark Lord Sauron has been defeated."_

_"I heard your speech, yes. The hobbit, Frodo Baggins; is he by any chance the ward of Bilbo Baggins? If so, I know him well_."

Cirdan nodded. "A _cousin, taken in and adopted as Bilbo's heir after the death of his parents. He travelled with eight companions from Imladris, bearing the Ring towards Mordor. Boromir, first son of the Steward of Gondor, and Aragorn, son of Arathorn, now King of Gondor and Arnor, represented the race of Men. Samwise Gamgee, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took joined for the hobbits, Gimli, son of Gloin, for the dwarves, and Legolas Thranduilion of the Greenwood for the elves._ "

" _Legolas! My friend, I have missed him_ ," said Merlin. " _How did he react to working with a dwarf? And son of one of the thirteen to reclaim Erebor, no less_."

Cirdan laughed lightly. " _He was irritated at first, but I have heard they are now firm friends and intend to continue travelling together, despite the end of their quest. The Fellowship was broken at Amon Hen, when Boromir was slain and Peregrin and Meriadoc kidnapped. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli chased their taken comrades, while Frodo and Samwise continued on to Mordor_."

" _It seems there is much I need to catch up on. I expect Arthur will want to meet Aragorn, as one of the Kings of Men, so I expect we will travel past Imladris. Has Lord Elrond sailed yet_?"

" _No, he has not. The Lords and Ladies of the Elven cities have not changed since you left, though Eomer is now King of Rohan and Gondor is ruled by Aragorn, not by the Stewards. Lady Arwen however has left Imladris and is now Queen of Gondor, married to Aragorn. She has made the same choice as Luthien did and will only live as long as her husband does_."

Merlin sighed. " _I wondered, when she didn't find a partner after travelling through all four of our cities. But if she has found joy, then I am happy for her_."

~~~

While Merlin was gone, Arthur, the knights, Gwen and Morgana had gathered in the sitting area of their quarters.

"Morgana, Mordred, is there any reason why Merlin would be the only one drawn towards that portal?" asked Arthur.

Morgana nodded. "It might have been keyed to him specifically. If the aim was to bring us here, then it might be that Merlin was simply the only one they could get hold of to draw us in."

"Have we seen any sign that this place is a threat to us?"

Leon shook his head. "Nothing that I've seen, Sire."

Gwaine was looking thoughtful. "Did you see how these elves acted towards Merlin though? The lord looked almost surprised when you said Merlin was your manservant and the one who led us here nodded in respect."

Arthur frowned. "I hadn't noticed that."

"He was definitely excited to see the shore," commented Elyan. "Do you think he's been here before?"

Arthur scoffed at that. "When? He lived in Ealdor until he came to Camelot, and he certainly couldn't afford to hire a boat then."

"That's a good point," said Elyan, frowning at the flaw in his idea.

"So we need to keep an eye on him then," said Leon. "In case of enchantments of any kind."

"I'll watch him, don't worry," replied Morgana, though Mordred simply nodded, not saying anything.

Arthur sighed. "Well. We set out to find a new country. But we seem to have found possible allies, rather than enemies. Of course, we'll have to stay a while, just to be certain."

The others nodded, agreeing. But Mordred was nervous. How did Merlin know these elves? Had he been here before? He could have travelled by magic. By then why was he hiding it? Why didn't he mention it to anyone, if not to Arthur, than to him?

There came a knock on the door and the same elf who had helped them before came in, carrying a large scroll of parchment. Merlin was behind him with several slightly smaller scrolls in his arms.

"The maps you requested, King Arthur," said the elf quietly. He placed the scroll on the table, bowed and left.

Merlin put down the scrolls he was carrying and then pulled out several smooth black stones from his pocket. "Lord Cirdan said these are used to weigh down the corners of the scrolls." He unrolled the large scroll the elf had carried and placed the stones at the corners.

The others gathered around the table to look. Merlin began explaining parts of the map. "This is a map of the known lands of Middle-Earth. The other scrolls have more details of certain areas. We are here," he pointed to a city on the coast. "Mithlond, also known as the Grey Havens, capital of Lindon and ruled by Lord Cirdan. There are several different kingdoms, mostly divided between the races of Men, Elves and Dwarves."

"Dwarves!"

Merlin nodded. "I didn't get much information on them, other than their current cities and leaders, but apparently they're a very secretive race anyway." He started pointing to the map again. "The Elves are mostly ruled by Lords and Ladies, rather than Kings or Queens. The city of Imladris or Rivendell is ruled by Lord Elrond. Lothlorien is ruled by Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel. The Greenwood is ruled by King Thranduil. They don't really have kingdoms, more specific cities and areas they live in. Apparently the population is reducing in favour of Men."

"Men," huffed Morgana.

Merlin shrugged. "They refer to them as the race of Men. There are several kingdoms. Rohan is currently ruled by King Eomer. King Bard the Second rules Dale. Gondor is ruled by King Aragorn and his wife Queen Arwen. They rule Eriador and Arnor as well, but all the cities in Arnor were destroyed in a war hundreds of years ago. Then King Bard II rules Dale and the surrounding area."

"And the dwarves?" asked Leon.

"They tend to rule mountain kingdoms," replied Merlin. "Elves like the woodland areas, or the sea, but dwarves prefer mountains. Their main base is Erebor, also known as the Lonely Mountain, ruled by King Thorin. The Iron Hills are ruled by Lord Dain and the Blue Mountains by Lady Dis. They run their own kingdoms but answer to King Thorin. There used to be seven kingdoms, but many have been lost over the centuries for many reasons. Same with the elves; there used to be more Kings and kingdoms but they were killed and destroyed in wars."

"You've missed a few," joked Gwaine, pointing to an area ringed in mountains.

Merlin scowled. "Mordor." His voice was dark. "Recently defeated in a war with Gondor and Rohan, their last ruler was the Dark Lord Sauron. It is a kingdom of black magic. Apparently no men, elves or dwarves live there, only creatures. Orcs, goblins and trolls were mentioned."

"Right, well we share some views on magic then," said Elyan.

Merlin shook his head. "They only hate black magics. Magic that hurts others. Any other magic is welcomed and used in a lot of crafts and building."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Merlin, you weren't gone all that long. How did you remember all this?"

Merlin grinned his usual cheeky grin. "I'm not completely useless, you know. I've been to enough of your meetings with other kings to remember names and kingdoms quickly."

Leon smiled. "That is true."

"Why do some of these places have two names?" asked Elyan, leaning over the map.

"Difference in language," shrugged Merlin. "The dwarves and elves have their own. Most places have a name in Westron or Common, which are their names for the language we're speaking now, and a name in the language of whoever mapped them."

"Right," said Elyan, still looking at all the names.

Leon had started unrolling the more detailed maps. Arthur was looking at all the different kingdoms. "We need to decide who to visit. If this is to be a diplomatic trip, then we need to work out a route, or send letters or something."

Merlin nodded. "The war I mentioned has only just ended. Lord Cirdan was announcing it in the square when we arrived. So they might need some notice about visitors."

"For once, that is a good idea, Merlin," said Arthur, shaking his head. "Did Lord Cirdan say anything about how they communicate?"

Merlin shrugged. "The same as we do. Fast horses. The dwarves send ravens apparently, but only to each other. Certain elves have some sort of power to talk to each other in their heads over long distances, but I doubt that will work with us."

"The druids can do that," said Mordred. "But only over short distances."

Morgana nodded. "How far are the distances on this map? It might make it easier for us."

"I'm not sure. They measure in miles, not leagues." He pointed to the scale on the side of the main map.

Arthur sighed. "We'll have to ask."

"If you plan to meet the elves, they have similar customs to us," said Merlin. "But the dwarves have their own way of doing things. They are secretive about their culture and language. Also, they don't get on with elves. They will ally in times of war, but mostly insult each other."

"Right," Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "This is a lot to take in."

Gwen smiled at him, then went to the desk in the corner of the room. She returned to the table with parchment and a quill and handed them to Merlin. "We can start by writing down the rulers of each kingdom, so we don't forget them all. Then we can plan on the rest."

Arthur smiled and kissed her hand. "Of course. Anything else important you were told, Merlin?"

"Almost everyone in Middle-Earth has long hair," he said, grinning slightly. "We're going to stand out wherever we go, except Gwaine and Leon. Oh, and we might want to wait until it gets a bit longer before we visit any dwarves."

"Why?" asked Percival.

"They shave their beards and cut their hair either as a sign of mourning or because they've committed a crime and are seen as without honour."

Arthur groaned. "Great. That's going to make a great impression then isn't it?"

Merlin shrugged. "We can also send a letter ahead explaining that it is our custom for men to have short hair and women to have long. Apparently their women have beards as well as the men, so..."

Gwaine laughed.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Visits to the Shire, Elladan and Elrohir show up, and a few revelations...

They stayed several days in Mithlond. That first night there was a great feast to celebrate the end of the war with Mordor. The knights were warned not to drink the wine unless it was well watered down; elves could easily drink men, dwarves and hobbits under the table.

There was a strange incident when Merlin tried to help serve; he was earnestly told that he was a guest and should sit and enjoy himself. He met Arthur's eyes and his king shrugged and gestured subtly to the empty space next to Gwaine. Merlin sat beside his friend and he enjoyed the evening. But it felt slightly odd; it had been so long since he had attended a feast without serving.

Eighteen years should have been nothing in his eyes, but so much had happened, he had changed so much in those eighteen years that they felt much longer. Gwaine nudged him, so he grinned and toasted Arthur and Cirdan, deliberately pushing aside his memories of the last time he had feasted in these halls.

The following day, they began planning in earnest for the planned diplomatic trip. They all memorised the lists of the kings, queens, lords and ladies, and the lands they ruled. Leon, Gwaine, Percival, Elyan and Mordred went down to the training grounds and sparred with the guards. They lost almost every match and decided not to even attempt a contest on the archery range.

Gwen and Morgana spent time with the elf maidens, learning the styles of hair and dress they wore for feasts and banquets. They also spent a lot of time in the library with Arthur and Merlin, exploring the customs of the races of Middle-Earth and trying to map which would be needed in each kingdom.

Arthur and Merlin, aside from their work in the library, spent a lot of their time with Cirdan, plotting the best routes to each kingdom and who they would need to meet and spend time with.

"This is going to take a long time," commented Arthur after one such session.

"True," replied Cirdan. "It can take several months to reach Erebor from Rivendell and that is without too many delays. There shouldn't be a problem in the Misty Mountains as most of the goblins and orcs have been cleared out now, but I would confirm that with Lord Elrond and his sons."

"Why his sons?" asked Arthur.

Cirdan sighed. "Elladan and Elrohir are well known for their hatred of orcs. They have made it their mission to eradicate as many as possible. It is their diligence that has kept so much of the area around the Hidden Valley safe for so long."

Merlin had to swallow thickly at the reminder of the twins and their 'hunting', but he managed to hide it. He looked at Arthur. "Do you think we should send a message back through the portal? To let Gaius and Sir Kay know how long you'll be away."

Arthur considered, then nodded. "We'll have to send someone through with a message and then wait for them to get back."

Cirdan glanced at Merlin then said, "It would reduce the amount of time you had to wait if I sent a messager for you. Our people can pass easily through the portal. The only reason we haven't done so before was because we had no desire to get involved in the wars of another world when we had our own battles to fight."

Arthur agreed, and a group of three elves was sent through the portal with letters closed with the King's seal to prove they came from Arthur.

Cirdan and the elves of Mithlond provided them with supplies and horses, after patiently teaching them some of the basic commands in Sindarin.

"They will respond to Westron," said the stable master, "But they work better if you can speak Sindarin."

A group of eight elves, plus Lord Cirdan would be accompanying them to Rivendell, partially as guides and partly because Cirdan had business to discuss with Lord Elrond.

Merlin asked quietly if they would be passing through the Shire. Cirdan laughed and replied, " _We will, Emrys, we will. I know you are fond of the hobbits and they are on route if we wish to stay at inns instead of in tents."_

Merlin had grinned in reply to that.

~~~

The whole group was looking forward to their trip, but were slightly nervous as well, apart from Gwaine. This was an important diplomatic mission that would last several months.

They set out from the Grey Havens, heading for the Shire. Cirdan and the other elves explained about hobbits as they rode.

"Hobbits are like Men but with several important differences," said the lord. "They are shorter than dwarves, and very few can grow beards. They are fond of food and laughter, and are only ever violent in defence of their lives. Hobbits are often referred to as Halflings by Men and Elves, but they take offense to that more often than not, so I would avoid the term. They never wear boots or shoes of any kind."

"Why not?" asked Morgana curiously.

Cirdan smiled. "Their feet have natural leathery soles, and they grow soft curly hair on the tops of their feet. It is the worst insult to a hobbit to criticise his feet." He adjusted his hold on the reins and continued. "They are quiet creatures, able to sneak up on anyone except an elf and very good at hiding. They love the simple life and very rarely leave the Shire. Most hobbits are distrustful of the Big Folk as they call Men and Elves, but some are welcoming. If you want to compliment a hobbit, praise their cooking, their gardens, or their children. Most families have at least three, though one of their last Thains had twelve children."

"Twelve?" marveled Elyan, while Gwaine let out a whistle.

But Leon was focussed on something else. "Who is the Thain?"

"The land of the Shire is technically ruled by King Aragorn, as ruler of Gondor and Arnor. But as Minas Tirith is so far away, the Hobbits have a leader known as the Thain. The position is inherited. The Thain is in charge of the Shire Moot, a meeting of the Heads of the Families, and of the muster of the call to arms if necessary. They also have a Mayor who controls the Sheriffs and the post service."

"So who holds the power?" asked Arthur.

"Technically the Thain does, as he was appointed by the king," replied Cirdan. "But hobbits so rarely fight that the everyday power is the Mayor. We will be meeting both, but we will stay at one of the inns, the Green Dragon."

After this talk moved to the recent upheaval in the Shire and the repairs that where still going on. Cirdan scowled fiercely at the mention of Saruman, then led the discussion into talk of the Istari, the wizards of Middle-Earth.

"Are they the only ones who can do magic then?" asked Gwen.

"No, they are not," replied Cirdan. "Several elves have some magic, though it can cost them a lot of strength to use it. The Lords and Ladies have power, as does King Thranduil. King Aragorn of Gondor has a little power, though that is focussed in healing. The dwarves have some secret magic they use in their crafting, but only they are permitted to know it."

Arthur looked a little relieved at that. At least they were unlikely to be attacked with magic if they offended anyone, or ran across bandits. He trusted Morgana and Mordred and knew they would protect them, but it was difficult to change the mentality of a lifetime. Then Leon asked, "Do you have any power Lord Cirdan?" and he tensed slightly.

"I had some power over fire once," came the calm response. "But I gave it up to another who could use it better than I could. I should also warn you, that your magic will act differently in Arda than in Camelot. The language of the Old Religion, which I believe you use to cast, will not serve you here, so non-verbal magic will work, but spoken spells are more likely to fail. Those who have power here use the old tongue of Quenya, which is highly complex and takes years to learn."

Mordred and Morgana looked uncomfortable for a moment, then realised that they weren't likely to meet another magic user, so their non-verbal magic would probably be enough.

~~~

The Shire was almost the same as Merlin remembered it. The mill was different and many trees including the Party Tree had been cut down, but aside from that, much was the same.

He laughed along with the fauntlings as they danced beside the horses and got a strange look from Gwaine, until one of the fauntlings tugged on the knight's boot and offered him a flower. The other knights started grinning too after that and Gwen and Morgana were obviously trying not to coo at the laughing children.  
Meeting the Thain and the Mayor went well, though Merlin was glad he didn't have to be there because they would definitely have recognised him. Instead he stayed outside, watching the horses and playing with the children. He ended up sitting them on Gwen and Morgana's horses to braid flowers into their manes and making crowns from flowers.

The knights had grinned at the sight of Merlin's crown of ferns, with Cirdan raising an eyebrow in amusement, until the fauntlings proudly presented Arthur and Gwen with matching crowns of shiny green ivy.

"Ivy means wedded love, friendship and affection," piped up one eager young boy. "We wanted to make you something special." His smile was returned by the others and Gwen knelt to hug the children.

"What does Merlin's crown mean?" asked Arthur.

The boy grinned again. "Ferns are for fascination, confidence and shelter."

"They can also mean magic," added a little girl with bouncing curls.

The knights laughed again, Mordred a little nervously, but Merlin refused to remove the crown until they had completely left the children behind and were nearly at the inn.

"Magic, Merlin?" asked Gwaine.

Merlin chuckled. "I showed them a simple trick of making a coin vanish behind their ears. Not real magic, just a trick of the eyes, but they loved it. One of them asked if I was a friend of Gandalf."

"Gandalf is one of the wizards, right?" asked Elyan and Cirdan confirmed that he was. Mordred silently breathed a sigh of relief. Merlin smiled at him.

The inn was full of laughter and music. They were given the only rooms designed for 'Big Folk' and left their bags there. Merlin took the horses to the stable, then joined the others in the crowded common room. Gwaine and Percival were already sat beside a hobbit Merlin vaguely recognised as a Brandybuck, while Arthur and the other knights were at the bar, talking to several Tooks.

Then Merlin jumped as a hand caught his wrist and he looked down. He broke into a broad grin immediately.

"Frodo Baggins! I haven't seen you in nearly twenty years. How are you?"

Frodo grinned back at him and said, "I'm well enough, now I'm back in the Shire. I hadn't heard you had returned to Middle-Earth. I thought you were still in Camelot."

Merlin gestured to the bar. "I'm here with King Arthur and several of his knights. We're on a diplomatic mission across Middle-Earth." Then he turned so that none of the others could see him and said, "They don't know I'm an elf, or that I have magic. I think they suspect I've been to Middle-Earth before, but I'm trying to avoid that conversation for now."

Frodo raised an eyebrow. "How will you manage that when you get Rivendell?"

"I was hoping to have explained things myself by then, but I'm not looking forward to it," he admitted.

The hobbit sighed, and shook his head. "Well, now you're back, you can at least come and have a drink with me and explain why you are looking and talking like a Man rather than how you usually do."

He led Merlin over to a table where three other hobbits sat.

"This is Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck."

Merlin grinned at the names, then replied, "I'm Merlin. Nice to meet you all. I've heard some of your adventures from Lord Cirdan."

Meriadoc laughed. "I never thought we'd be recognised outside of the Shire." He reached across the table and shook Merlin's hand. "Call me Merry. And this is Pippin."

When Arthur came looking for Merlin, he found him laughing harder than he'd ever seen before, with three hobbits joining him and a fourth obviously mid-story.

"- So I said, 'Did she ever try that again?' and Uncle Bilbo replied, 'No, she didn't dare!'"

Merlin stopped laughing long enough to spot Arthur and stood up quickly.

"My friends, I'd like you to meet King Arthur Pendragon of Camelot. Arthur, this is Sam, Merry, Pippin and Frodo."

Arthur recognised the last name at once from the stories Cirdan had told them, and inclined his head. "It's an honour to meet you all."

Pippin started giggling and Sam flushed deep red. Merry was trying to shush Pippin, so it was left to Frodo to reply. "The honour is ours, King Arthur. I'm afraid my friends have had rather a lot to drink and aren't in the best state to be polite."

Arthur waved a hand. "It's perfectly alright. I just came to get Merlin. We're heading for Rivendell in the morning, so we need to get to bed."

Merlin smiled at his king and told him he'd be there in a minute. Arthur nodded and left.

Frodo looked at his elven friend. " _You have to tell him soon_ ," he said quietly in Sindarin.

Merlin sighed and replied in the same language. " _I know. But ten years is a long time to lie to someone. I'll tell him before we get to Imladris. Thank you for your company tonight, mellon-nin. It was good to see you again_."

Frodo smiled and switched back to Westron. "If I bring a letter round in the morning, could you give it to Bilbo for me?"

"Of course, Frodo. I'll see you tomorrow."

~~~

Frodo arrived just as Merlin was helping to saddle the horses the next morning. He thanked Merlin for taking the letter and made him promise to write when he could now he was back in Middle-Earth.

The journey towards Rivendell was easy enough. They stayed the next night in Buckland, where Merlin was luckily not recognised by anyone, then travelled on to Bree, where Merlin spent most of the evening hiding in the stables working on a loose buckle on Gwen's saddle, then sneaked into the room he was sharing with Mordred and Elyan and quickly fell asleep.

He woke at dawn and made sure everything was ready for them to move one, then sat talking quietly with Cirdan until the others got up and joined them for breakfast.

The others had already made it past the town gates when a voice called Merlin's name. He turned, still holding his horse's reins and spotted a man in a dark green cloak hurrying towards him.

"Merlin! It is you! I almost didn't recognise you with your hair so short. It's not part of your usual disguise."

Merlin smiled at the Ranger, though he didn't remember his name. "Did you have a message for me?"

The Ranger nodded. "I'm sure you know that Strider has reclaimed his birthright. He spread the word that if you were spotted, we were to tell you he expects a visit as soon as possible and a messenger before that. He warns that he still expects you to keep the promise you made when you left."

Merlin groaned and resisted the urge to curse. Instead he thanked the Ranger for the message, mounted his horse and hurried after Arthur and the others.

"What did he want?" asked Gwaine.

"He wanted to warn us to avoid Weathertop if we didn't want to be seen at night. It's high up, so the light of a fire can be seen for miles."

Arthur and Leon nodded, tucking the information away for later, but Mordred was watching him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"What are you hiding Emrys?" came the silent question.

"Later," Merlin sent back.

Mordred gave the tiniest of nods and turned back to Morgana, who was talking about the difference in the feeling of magic between here and Camelot.

After that the journey went quickly. They spent a few nights in tents that the elves put up quickly and gracefully. They passed Weathertop in daylight, so Merlin's invented warning was un-necessary. When they camped in the Trollshaws, Merlin told them the tale he had heard so many times from Bilbo, though he let the others assume he had heard it in the inn back in the Shire. Seeing the Stone Trolls made the knights laugh, though Leon pointed out he was glad they didn't have to face them alive.

Then suddenly they were at the Ford of the Bruinen and Merlin was running rapidly out of time to confess his secrets. Cirdan was looking at him meaningfully whenever they stopped for any reason and Mordred was watching him carefully.

And abruptly the whole thing was taken out of his hands by the arrival of two of the people Merlin had been longing to see ever since they landed in Mithlond.

~~~

They had just crossed the Ford on foot, leading the horses, when the elves in their party all looked up. Everyone else followed where they were looking and saw two horses coming quickly towards them. Arthur and the knights tensed, but the elves relaxed. Merlin was silently conflicted; both overjoyed and extremely nervous.

The two horses slowed to a walk, and their faces were clearly visible to all of the group now. Merlin closed his eyes, revelling in the familar feel of the magic in their blood as they jumped smoothly from their saddles and landed gracefully side by side in front of Cirdan.

"Lord Cirdan," the first one said.

"Lord Elrond sends his greetings-" continued the second.

"And has asked us to escort your party-"

"To the Hidden Valley and Imladris."

Then they turned to Arthur, and bowed. "Lord Elrond also sends his greetings to you-"

"King Arthur, and bids you welcome to Rivendell."

"I am Elladan Elrondion-"

"And I am Elrohir Elrondion,"

"It is an honour to meet you." They finished together with a wide smile.

Arthur blinked rapidly at the odd speech, then gave the formal reply they had come up with before leaving Mithlond.

Merlin was smiling fondly at the twins when they finally spotted him. Their eyes widened and they both ran forward to embrace him. He laughed as they almost knocked him over with their greeting.

"It is good to see you both too, but I'd rather stay on my feet for now," he grinned as they simply tightened their grip and looked at Cirdan when he started laughing too.

"I don't know what you expected Merlin, after so long away."

"Merlin?" asked Elladan, pulling back.

"That nickname stuck?" continued Elrohir.

"You know it did, the Rangers use it often enough," he smiled back at them. "I have missed you both dearly."

Then Merlin jumped as Arthur spoke. "Merlin, what is going on here?"

He carefully stepped back slightly from the twins, who stopped hugging him, but each kept an arm around his waist. Everyone from Camelot was staring at him. He flushed a little, then said, "It's a long story."

"Perhaps we should stop here for an early lunch," suggested Cirdan. "Then we can arrive in Imladris in time for dinner."

Elladan and Elrohir immediately tugged Merlin over to their usual resting spot, though they still made sure to sit either side of him on the rock. Arthur, Gwen, Morgana, Cirdan and the knights joined them on the smooth flat rocks, while the other elves set about unpacking and laying out the lunch.

"What year is it now, Elladan?" asked Merlin.

The older twin laughed. "Shouldn't you have asked that when you arrived, Merlin?"

Merlin shrugged. "Probably, now answer the question."

"It's the year 3020 of the Third Age. April 3rd if you want to be specific," he replied, still grinning.

"I thought it would be the beginning of the Fourth Age after Sauron's final defeat."

Elrohir shrugged. "So did we, but it's up to Gondor to mark these things. Perhaps you could ask Estel when you get there."

Merlin nodded in understanding, then looked at Arthur who was still watching him with narrowed eyes.

"Like I said, it's a long story."

"Well, you better get started then."

~~~

Merlin leaned back against the supporting arms of the twins, and thought about where to begin.

"I didn't grow up in Ealdor. I arrived there eighteen years ago and Hunith took me as her son when I asked for a place to stay. I spent eight years there before I left for Camelot to stay with Hunith's brother Gaius and I started working as Arthur's manservant. The timing wasn't by accident. Hunith couldn't support me anymore and Arthur was coming of age."

"Wait, you planned to come to Camelot because I was coming of age?"

Merlin smiled at him. "Of course. Once you were officially the Crown Prince, you were more of a target. You'd need to be protected more than you were before."

Arthur was looking utterly confused, but Gwaine asked, "If you didn't go up in Ealdor, where did you grow up?"

Merlin's smile widened, and the twins tightened their grip on him slightly. "I grew up here, Arda, in Imladris."

This caused chaos for a few minutes as they all started talking over each other. Then Gwaine gave a piercing whistle and they fell silent.

Arthur glanced at Gwaine in thanks then said, "But you must have been a child when you left. I thought you were eighteen when you arrived in Camelot."

Merlin winced and Elladan and Elrohir laughed. "Sorry, I was quite a bit older than that." He fell silent trying to work out how to phrase it, then Elrohir burst out, "Oh just show them your ears Merlin!"

He sighed, then tucked his hair behind his ears and dropped the glamour.

There were several gasps and curses, then Elyan said, "How did we never notice that before?"

"It's a simple glamour," said Elladan. "A small magic most elves can manage for a few hours at a time."

"Except Merlin has kept it up for at least ten years," said Leon, one eyebrow raised.

Merlin sighed again and said, "I'm not your average elf."

Elrohir snorted, "You can say that again, muindor."

Merlin ran a hand through his hair. "I'm one of the youngest elves in Arda, but I'm still more than two and half thousand years old."

"Two thousand, eight hundred and forty," commented Elladan. Silence fell for several long moments.

"But you looked so young when you came to Camelot," said Gwen softly.

Merlin grinned sheepishly. "Another glamour. Sorry, but I had to blend in. I had to appear to age."

"So is this even what you really look like?" asked Arthur, his voice hard. Merlin could see his fists were clenched tightly at his sides.

"No," he replied softly. "It's as close as I could get while appearing human though. I won't remove it now, it's complicated to do."

Arthur closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and said, "Why did you come to Camelot? Why leave Middle-Earth?"

"Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond can see possibilities of the future," replied Merlin. "They both saw I would be needed." He paused and looked at Mordred. "Could you explain the druid prophecies about the Once and Future King?"

Mordred nodded. "The druids say that the Once and Future King will unite the lands of Albion and bring the Golden Age, with harmony between all folks and the freedom of magic. He will be guided and protected by Emrys, the greatest sorcerer ever to walk the earth, and after the King dies, he will rise again at the time of Albion's greatest need."

"And who is this Once and Future King?" asked Leon.

"Arthur is the Once and Future King who will unite the Land of Albion," replied Mordred. "All druids know it. We have since his Coming of Age."

"And Emrys?" said Gwen.

"Emrys was the name I was told to be wary of," said Morgana. "I was told he was my destiny and my doom."

"If you had continued on the path of Darkness, he would have been," Mordred told her. "It's why I never gave you his name, even when I was fighting against him."

"You told me he was in Camelot."

Mordred nodded. "He was. He was always there, at Arthur's side, protecting him."

Merlin sat up straighter. "Merlin was a nickname given to me when I was younger, by Elrohir. When I got to Ealdor, I chose to use it as my name. But the name I was given by my parents was Emrys."

There was stunned silence at these words. Then -

"You have magic," said Morgana softly.

Merlin nodded. "I was born with it."

"You could have helped me," she was crying quietly now. He moved away from the twins and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry, Morgana. I wanted to help, I promise you I did. But I'd been warned over and over again, not to trust you. That you would be an enemy of Arthur, and would help to bring about his death. I had to protect him; it's my destiny. I tried to help. I took you to the druids, but Uther assumed you'd been kidnapped and that made it worse. And then Morgause put everyone in Camelot to sleep and I had no choice if I was to protect Arthur. I'm sorry."

Now he was crying too, and no-one else seemed to know what to say. Merlin continued to mumble how sorry he was and how he wished he'd told her.

Eventually, Morgana stopped crying and thanked him for comforting her, and for his apologies.

Then Arthur said, "Why did you never tell me?"

Merlin smiled rhyly at him. "You'd have chopped my head off."

"I don't know what I would have done."

"And I didn't want to put you in that position."

Arthur looked incredulously at him. "That's what you were worried about?!"

Merlin nodded. "I could have escaped the pyre easily enough. I actually did it once. And I've broken out of the cells multiple times. But I didn't want to have to force you to decide between the law and a possible friend."

"And once the registry was formed?" asked Gwen quietly.

Merlin shrugged. "I could protect Arthur better if no-one knew what I was capable of. The element of surprise has helped a lot over the years. No-one expects the serving boy to be a sorcerer, especially in Camelot."

Gwaine groaned suddenly, "How could I have missed it? Those plates flying across the room, the first time I met you. And branches randomly dropping on bandits."  
Merlin nodded. "I hid behind trees to hide the magic, not because I was scared."

"And I bet you never go to the tavern either," commented Leon.

Merlin shook his head.

Elladan laughed. "Emrys never drinks. At least not elven wine. His magic goes crazy when he's drunk; he can't control it."

Elrohir chuckled too. "Last time, he was stuck with cat's ears and a tail for three days until he could sort it out."

Merlin flushed, but didn't deny it. Percival was grinning at him, and Gwaine and Elyan were laughing.

"So every time Gaius said you were at the tavern..." said Arthur slowly.

"I was trying to stop someone from killing you, or taking over Camelot, yes," replied Merlin.

"Merlin, that was all the time!"

Merlin nodded. "A lot of people wanted you dead. Mostly because you were Uther's heir and they wanted some sort of revenge."

Arthur ran a hand through his hair. "This is a lot to take in. And I still can't decide if I'm grateful or furious, or both."

Gwen smiled at her husband and took his hand. "Well I'm grateful. Thank you Merlin, for protecting him all these years."

Merlin inclined his head gently. "It's my destiny to serve you Arthur. And I'm proud of that."

Then Elyan said, "What happens now? Are we still going to continue with our plans?"

Lord Cirdan spoke suddenly for the first time since the start of the conversation. "I see no reason why you shouldn't. Having Emrys as your guide will be of great advantage to you. He knows several of the rulers you are planning to meet personally, and that will help put you in a good light if he supports you."

"Alright," said Arthur, finally reaching for the lunch that had been laid out in front of them. "We continue on as we planned." He looked at Merlin. "But I expect to hear some of the explanations for certain events properly now you can tell us everything."

"Of course, Arthur." And Merlin smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta da!  
> So in case you didn't spot it, borrowed a few lines from series 5 there. Just wanted to slip them in there.  
> For the curious, 'muindor' means brother. Long sentences in other languages will be in English but with italics or bold, but I like to use some words of elvish or khuzdul mixed into normal sentences, so...  
> Hope you liked this chapter. Chapter three is nearly done, and working on the rest.  
> Any ideas, hints or tips are very welcome.  
> As usual, kudos and comments bring out my happy!

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this one for a while, and I have no idea how long it's going to be yet, but I'm enjoying it.  
> Hope you enjoy it.  
> Comments bring out my happy!


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